When is un-sized boolits too big?

[wbrco]

So, I finally found a pot, ladle and strainer/spoon at the thrift store ($4 for all), took my hotplate, some sawdust and my $5 fish cornbread muffin pan outside for my first smelting session.

Unfortunately, my 50y.o. hotplate that I got from my mother didn't get nearly hot enough, so I drug out the Coleman stove and started to smelt.

After about 40 lbs of ingots, I decided I had nothing to loose, and went and got my mold, and a 5 gallon bucket of water. A little brake clean on the mold and I went to town.

Only took me about 5 or 6 attempts until I started getting things right. Here are the results.




FYI - Lyman 358156 DC

So I was planning on just tumble lubing and shooting them, but they vary in size anywhere from .358 to .362.

Since I slugged my NMBH at .3575, is .362 too big? I really don't want to measure every one of them, and I know you can shoot un-sized bullets. I just don't have a feel for how much oversize is too big.

I did learn that keeping everything hot, including your strainer, ladle and mold is VERY important, and regulating the temperature on a Coleman stove is not the easiest to do. When the lead even hints that it's cooling to that "plastic" stage you are too cold. The biggest problem I had was getting the very bottom GC base to fill out completely. I think this was primarily due to temperature fluctuation and using a soup ladle to cast with. But most are just slightly rounded, and I don't plan on using GC's, so I'm going to just shoot them anyway.

FYI - before anyone asks, this is straight COWW, right out of the bucket.
I think I'll be watching for a used bottom pour pot sometime in the future. At a minimum, a "real" casting ladle so I don't pour lead all over my sprue plate that I have to peel off between each pour.

So is .363 too big to safely shoot?

[DeanWinchester]

If it'll chamber it'll probably be just fine. Doubtful you'll get the largest ones to chamber.

[500MAG]

Are they water dropped?

[Charlie Two Tracks]

If it'll chamber it'll probably be just fine. Doubtful you'll get the largest ones to chamber.

Yup. The larger ones will be heavier also. See if you can get a ladle as you said. It will make it easier. Don't get discouraged. Your boolits look good for the equipment you have. Getting them poured at the same temp and with the same pressure and in a steady rhythm, all affects the finished product. You're on your way!

[mdi]

Did you measure the cylinder throats? The bullet shot through the cylinder throat will be sized to whatever diameter the throat is. As noted above, as long as it will chamber, it isn't too big. Personally, I wouldn't bother with water quenching, just drop them on a folded towel...

[wbrco]

Yes, they were water dropped. I did measure cylinder throats, but I don't remember what they are. I'm thinking .359 but not 100% certain.

[wbrco]

These are slated to be .38 Special plinking loads. I'll probably start them over 6.8 gns of Blue Dot.

[YunGun]

Yup. The larger ones will be heavier also. See if you can get a ladle as you said. It will make it easier. Don't get discouraged. Your boolits look good for the equipment you have. Getting them poured at the same temp and with the same pressure and in a steady rhythm, all affects the finished product. You're on your way!

+1!

so I don't pour lead all over my sprue plate that I have to peel off between each pour.

Only thing I'd add is that this is likely a big part of your temp fluctuation & resulting size/weight differences right there - once you start, you want to minimize the amount of time that the mould sits open/empty (...unless it's on the hotplate while you...whatever) so that it doesn't cool off once you've reached operating temp.

Assume that the first several casts will be automatic rejects & just dump 'em back in the pot. You want that lead to form a large puddle on top of the sprue plate so that as the melt solidifies in the cavities, it will draw down more lead to help fill out the boolit base properly.

[ETA] If you can get it to puddle enough, the resulting sprue should break away as a single large chunk of 'waste' lead that will go back in the pot, so shouldn't require cleaning between casts...

[338RemUltraMag]

I was told by someone much smarter than I that "If you can chamber it, the gun will shoot it" back when I was first starting out. My 8x57 has a .3235 bore and I size bullets to .328 to fill the throat.

[imashooter2]

This is not intended to disparage your effort in any way. Casting is as much art as science, and everyone has a learning curve.

While not a safety hazard as long as they chamber freely, what you show in the pictures are rejects. The size varies too much and none of the edges are filled out. Melt them down and try again. Since they are water dropped, make sure you start them in a cold pot to avoid a possible steam explosion.

I'm also curious as to why you would choose a gas check design if you intend to tumble lube and shoot unsized...

[BNE]

I'm amazed you did this well with a SPOON?!? Not bad at all. You will love the bottom pour when you get it.

The guys above gave good advice. The puddle of lead on top of the sprue will help you with fill out and with the temperature control.

I think you will get frustrated if you load and shoot these. The variations you measured will probably show up when you shoot. Don't get frustrated, I have melted down hundreds of boolits when I figured out how to make better ones.

[wbrco]

This is not intended to disparage your effort in any way. Casting is as much art as science, and everyone has a learning curve.

While not a safety hazard as long as they chamber freely, what you show in the pictures are rejects. The size varies too much and none of the edges are filled out. Melt them down and try again. Since they are water dropped, make sure you start them in a cold pot to avoid a possible steam explosion.

I'm also curious as to why you would choose a gas check design if you intend to tumble lube and shoot unsized...

??
I guess I don't know what to look for. Other than the ones that didn't fill the bases out fully, all the edges look clean and even/concentric.

I picked that mold because it's a good older design, and I was able to actually find a deal on flayBay. <$50 for mold and handles shipped. GC design was a bonus. The decision to get a more expensive mold was based on a number of posts on Lee-menting a mold. I'm trying to do this on the cheap. Less the mold and handles, I've got less than $20 invested, and I have a hookup for free ww as long as I don't ask too often. Thats why my ingots look like fish, and my ladle is a ss soup ladle (80¢).

tumble lube and unsized + free COWW=cheap boolits for plinking.

But what I'm hearing is that a sizer really should be in the works.

[imashooter2]

??
I guess I don't know what to look for. Other than the ones that didn't fill the bases out fully, all the edges look clean and even/concentric.

I picked that mold because it's a good older design, and I was able to actually find a deal on flayBay. <$50 for mold and handles shipped. GC design was a bonus. The decision to get a more expensive mold was based on a number of posts on Lee-menting a mold. I'm trying to do this on the cheap. Less the mold and handles, I've got less than $20 invested, and I have a hookup for free ww as long as I don't ask too often. Thats why my ingots look like fish, and my ladle is a ss soup ladle (80¢).

tumble lube and unsized + free COWW=cheap boolits for plinking.

But what I'm hearing is that a sizer really should be in the works.

All the edges on the driving bands and base should be sharp, exact mirrors of the sharp edges in the mold cavities. This is known as complete fillout. The diameter problems can come from several issues, most of them related to heat and pouring as mentioned above, but also make sure that you have the handles held firmly closed while you pour and that no alloy gets on the block faces.

Seriously, I'm not trying to beat you up here. It's a good first effort with makeshift equipment. But one of the best things about cast boolits is we get to melt our mistakes and try again.

[dondiego]

Lee makes a 0.358 push through sizer for less than $20 that you might want to try.

[guncheese]

i cast from a cast iron skillet on a cheap hotplate with a tin heat shield wrapped around it
i use a little spoon thing to pour my alloy
i cast 5 or 6 different boolits with my setup
and i get just as good or better results than someone who has spent money on a fancy pot or a fancy ladle (ohh and i use those crappy Lee molds everybody hates! )

remember the old saying "money cant buy you happiness"
well lets change it up a bit "money cant buy you good fillout" ok maybe that doesnt sound so good

[imashooter2]

A Lyman or RCBS dipper would be a considerable upgrade for little cost. I'd wager that a WTB ad would get you one at half price from a bottom pour convert here on the board. Absent that, some judicious work with a hammer can form a pour spout into the edge of a large kitchen spoon or small kitchen ladle to give you improved control of the pour.

[osteodoc08]

Get a tru-tel 200-1000* thermometer and a ladle. Get those two and have what you need to make some awesome boolits. Upgrade as money, wants, desires allow.

[Doc_Stihl]

What are you measuring these with?
Are they .362 and round or are they .358 x .362? If you have a bur or gunk on the mold faces it will hold the mold open and make an wider bullet. Though I don't see bad seam fins on your boolits.
A bottom pour pot, or a ladle would make things go a lot easier. As mentioned, get a good sprue on top. The pictures show that they're not well filled out.
A lot better than my first time

[wbrco]

All the edges on the driving bands and base should be sharp, exact mirrors of the sharp edges in the mold cavities. This is known as complete fillout. The diameter problems can come from several issues, most of them related to heat and pouring as mentioned above, but also make sure that you have the handles held firmly closed while you pour and that no alloy gets on the block faces.

Seriously, I'm not trying to beat you up here. It's a good first effort with makeshift equipment. But one of the best things about cast boolits is we get to melt our mistakes and try again.

So, I'm farsighted, and my bifocals need updating. I had to use a lupe to see what you were referring to. I do thing I have about 15 "good enough" ones.

Is this more of what I'm looking for or are these also remelts?

Attachment 107342

Also used a better camera!

[Old Caster]

Any of the bullets that you just made, if they will fit in the cases without moving around or are so big they can't be pushed in without deforming the case, will work. The difference is that the more uniform they are, the more accurate they are and the easier to load they are. It would be more critical if the gun were a semi auto. If you aren't getting in too big, the Lee sizer would be fine but I lean way more to getting a sizer that will lubricate also. Also don't worry about water dropping. It isn't even close to necessary for what you are doing.